Business Communications for Microsoft SpecialistsModule 4: Communication for Facilitation

Business Communications for
Microsoft Specialists
Module 4: Communication for
Facilitation
Christie Christelis
Presentation order
Smitha Dimple
Aastha Thamarika
Revathi Manish
Matthew Archie
Presentations Tintu
Katy
Gabriel
Abdul
Khalid
Heena
Gustavo Gargi
Samer Nicole (Ling Hang)
Ganesh
Module 2: Session 5
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Reflection
Module 4: Communication for Facilitation
Learning Outcomes: Topics to be Covered

At the completion of this module, you will be • The Principles of Facilitation
able to:
• Facilitation Stages, Activities and
• Explain how effective communications can lead Environments
to successful facilitations
• Identify the key activities of a facilitator in • Facilitation Techniques
preparing for a facilitation in different
environments • Managing Participant Communications
• Apply facilitation techniques to address different and Behaviour in Facilitation
stakeholder engagement situations
• Develop different approaches and techniques to
manage participant communications and
behaviours
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College. 4
The Principles of Facilitation
Module 4: Session 1
Poll – Experience with
Facilitated Sessions
Module 4: Session 1
What is Facilitation?
• Facilitation is the process by which a facilitator guides a group
of stakeholders to gain insight and understanding of their
common objectives.
• The role of facilitation only emerged in the mid-20th century
when theorists in the emerging field of behavioural science
identified the need for a leadership role to contribute structure
to complex group interactions rather than providing direction
and answers.
• Facilitation is a leadership role in which the decision-making
power resides in the members or stakeholders
• Facilitation involves establishing a climate of collaboration and
providing the group with the structure needed to be effective
• Facilitation uses tools and techniques that allow group
members to reach their own answers
What is Facilitation?
• Facilitators manage the facilitation process and guide
members through their discussion, encouraging them to reach
their own conclusions
• Facilitators act more like referees than players
• They keep their fingers on the pulse of the meeting and know
when to move in or wrap things up
• They keep the discussion focused and help group members
achieve closure
• They remain neutral about the topics under discussion
“A meeting without a facilitator is about as effective as a
sports team trying to play a game without a referee”
– Ingrid Bens, Facilitating with Ease

The Role of the Facilitator
• Conduct background research to understand the needs of

the group and what they hope to achieve
• Help the group to define its overall goal and objectives
• Prepare a detailed agenda and process notes describing
how the interaction will unfold
• Create an effective climate for participation
• Make sure assumptions are surfaced and tested
• Question and probe to encourage deeper exploration
• Offer the right tools at the right moment
• Encourage participation by everyone
• Guide group discussion to keep it on track

The Role of the Facilitator
• Make accurate notes (usually through a scribe) to

reflect the ideas of members
• Help members constructively manage differences of
opinion
• Redirect ineffective behaviours
• Provide feedback to the group so that they can
assess their progress and make adjustments
• Help the group achieve closure and define next steps
• Help the group access resources from inside and
outside the group
• Provide a means for evaluating the meeting and
seeking improvements
Core Principles and Beliefs of Facilitators
• People are intelligent, capable and want to do the right thing

(i.e., respect)
• Groups can make better decisions that one person alone
• Everyone has an opinion of value, regardless of rank or
position
• People are more committed to ideas and plans that they
have helped to develop
• Participants can be trusted to assume accountability for
their decisions
• Groups can manage their own conflicts, behaviours and
relationships if given the right tools and training
• The process, if well-designed and honestly applied, can be
trusted to achieve results
Process vs Content
PROCESS = the HOW a meeting is

taking place. And it includes the
exercises and techniques utilized by
the facilitator (BA) to reach the
goal(s) of the meeting.
• Process is the facilitators
responsibility

Process vs Content
CONTENT = the WHAT is being

discussed. i.e. the problem(s) and
the potential solution(s)
• The content is the team’s
responsibility (not the facilitator’s),
but the facilitator should make it
easy for the group to discuss
content and reach conclusions.

Process vs. Content
Process Content
Who Conducts Facilitator SME, Group
Structure Problem
Sequenced steps in logical Task at hand
order Agenda
Task
Tools and techniques Decisions
Ground Rules Strategies
Parking lot Words
Behaviour
Guidelines
Climate
Relations
Spirit
Pace
How to set the stage
About The How The What
Essence Ask Tell

Facilitator Role
• Organizing an effective and inclusive meeting
agenda (defining expected outcomes is especially
critical)
• Guiding the meeting process so that each
participant’s comments and viewpoints are heard
and understood
• Helping the meeting participants achieve
consensus and closure
• The term ‘Facilitation skills’ is often referred to in
the broad spectrum of interpersonal skills - to
support the synergy between requirements
communication and requirements elicitation
• ‘Facilitating’ is the term we use to refer to the more
specific area of meeting facilitation

Facilitator Role
Content Oriented Process Oriented
• Initiate – define topics, state objectives, set • Gate-keeping – makes sure that the tempo
limits keeps moving but that everyone has an
• Give/seek information and opinion opportunity to be heard by making
openings.
• Clarify and elaborate
• Encouraging – encourages people to
• Summarize/recap
participate
• Close – check for decision or agreement
• Harmonizing – avoids unnecessary conflict
• Sometimes called ‘chairing’ a meeting without hiding conflict. Keeps conflict ‘civil’
• Stopping – derails tangents or participants
who try to dominate the process.

Core Facilitation Practices
Facilitators:
• Stay neutral • Keep discussions on track
• Listen actively • Test assumptions
• Ask questions • Manage the group climate
• Paraphrase continuously • Make periodic process checks
• Summarize discussions • Give and receive feedback
• Record ideas
• Synthesize ideas

Scribe Role
• The scribe (recorder or ‘chart writer’) is an
assigned role at a facilitated session.
• The scribe is responsible for recording any
important information that the session produces.
• This role allows the facilitator to focus on the
process and the participants to focus on the
content.
• However, this critical role is not clearly
understood or implemented by all organizations.

Activity 4.2: Communication Styles and Facilitation
In your groups, discuss the following questions and
prepare some answers and guidelines:
• How do you think the different communications styles of
stakeholders in a facilitation workshop would influence
the way they communicate in the session? (Consider
their Social Style, but also factors such as cultural
background, their functional role, and their level in the
organization).
• How should the facilitator handle the different styles of
communication?
Each group will present their answers to the class

Facilitation Stages
Module 4: Session 2
Facilitation Stages
Preparation
Assessment and Design
Feedback and Refinement
Final Preparation
The Meeting:
Starting a Facilitation
During a Facilitation
Ending a Facilitation
After the Meeting:
Following up on a Facilitation
Facilitation Stages – Preparation
Assessment and Design
Create an invite for the project sponsor to send to
the invitees. The invite should outline the purpose,
introduce you, and stress the importance and
urgency of the meetings.
Create the list of the stakeholders that should be
represented at the meeting and review with the
sponsor. Are you missing anyone?
Decide on what facilitation technique(s) you will use.
How will you give feedback to the sponsor and to the
stakeholders? Create the agenda here.

Facilitation Stages – Preparation
Feedback and Refinement

Review the proposed agenda with a small group (and
the sponsor). Consider how flexible you should be on
the agenda and the pros and cons.
Final Preparation
As your final step in preparing for the case,
determine your approach for establishing behavioural
norms. Will you create them with the group or
present them?
Determine how much personal power you will have.
Conducting Facilitation
Starting a Facilitation
• Always arrive early to see if the room is the way you like it.
• Establish rapport with the stakeholders. This may involve
‘working the room’ by chatting to people as they come in.
During a Facilitation
• During a facilitation, this is where you must focus on the
process.
• The challenges and awkward behaviours will show up here
for you to manage. These challenges are addressed in the
next module.

Conducting Facilitation
Ending a Facilitation
Always summarize the discussion and be sure to know who
is responsible for what (in terms of next steps), and what
has been decided.
After the Meeting
Whether you are an internal or external facilitator, a follow
up meeting/discussion should be held at least with the
sponsor.
It should be done shortly after the meeting. Be clear on the
purpose and how you will provide and receive feedback.
Make sure that the feedback process to the stakeholders is
in place.
Facilitation Activities
Facilitators complete several activities to manage the process of meetings and reach group objectives.
• Break the Ice
• Clarify your Role
• Clarify the Topic
• Create Buy-in
• Identify Organizational Support
• Manage the Participation of Leaders
• Help Participants Prepare
• Create Targeted Norms
• Make Eye Contact
• Use Humour
• Set Up the Room to Encourage Participation

Facilitation Process Issues
The Client has no Clear Agenda
• Work with client alone to clarify
• Check with client the distinction between
symptom and cause
• No agenda = no meeting
The Issue is too Large
• Break it down into bite-sized chunks
• First key issues – rank by ability to solve
• Review team composition and perhaps form
sub teams

Facilitation Process Issues
The Group can't Achieve an Action Plan
• Take a break, for individual thinking
• Sub-group it
• Stop and take it to a follow-up with the client
The Time Contract is not Being Met
• Frequently remind the group
• Re-establish a new timeline agenda
with goals on the way
• Ask for a ‘timekeeper’ to help
• Ask for permission to extend the time allowed

Facilitation Tips
• Always seek permission to facilitate
• The most important thing is planning
• 3:1 ratio of prep to delivery
• Your job is to weave a path between logic –
politics – emotions
• At the start ask: "What does success look
like? How will we know?"
• Seek to builds professional presence
• Identify the client – what is his/her objectives

Facilitation Tips
• Pre-position sensitive issues against each of the
parties
• Always be seen to be fair
• Have your toolbox of methods always at the ready
• Find and use intervention levers e.g. chairman role,
timekeeper

Activity 4.3: Facilitation Challenges
In your groups, discuss the following and prepare

some answers and guidelines:
“What are some of the most important challenges

faced by facilitators in preparing for and executing
facilitation sessions?”
“How should facilitators address them?”

for discussion.

Meeting Environments
Meetings can occur in a variety of

environments:
• Face-to-Face
• Virtual – Video conference
• Virtual – Web-based collaboration
• Virtual – Teleconference

Meeting Environments – Environmental Effects
The meeting environment will affect a number of
important facilitation issues, including:
• Norms for the meeting.
• Appropriate length of
the meeting.
• Timing of the meeting (especially if time zones
are involved)
• Participant culture - social and organizational
• Approach to document and confirm results.
• Cost of the meeting.

Meeting Environments – Face to Face Meetings
CONS & PROS

Advantages
• Build trust and relationships
• Networking
Disadvantages • Resolve conflicts
• Cost and time to travel • Effective collaboration
• Difficult to schedule • Understand cultural differences
• Attendees more likely to cancel • Better for training
than other approaches
Meeting Environments – Virtual Teams
A team composed of people distributed across

buildings, cities, and/or countries
Transcends:
• Distance
• Time zones
• Organizational boundaries
• National borders
• Continents
Assembled for a specific project;
disbanded when project is finished
More likely to be a temporary team
Virtual Teams - Keep in Mind
Time, distance, and cultural differences often
contribute to communication problems
Popularity of telecommuting has accelerated the
trend toward virtual teams
Enabled by technology, especially the Internet
Virtual teams:
• Have unique communication needs that must be
recognized and accommodated
• Are often made up of independent individuals
• Are composed of and headed by those who have
requisite skills (not who is available at a particular
geographic location)
Activity 4.4: Facilitation Challenges
In your groups, discuss these following and prepare

some answers and guidelines:
• What are the top five challenges for facilitators in

facilitating sessions?
• How do we overcome them?

for discussion.

Facilitation Techniques
Module 4: Session 3
Activity 4.5: Facilitation Technique Demonstration
Hopefully you read through the material on

Facilitation techniques before coming to class. If
not, there will be time for you to familiarize yourself
with the technique allocated to your group.
The class will be divided into a maximum of four
groups. Each group will be allocated one of the
following facilitation technique to demonstrate:
• Brainstorming
• Spectrum Lines
• Plus-Minus-Interesting
• Six Thinking Hats

Activity 4.5: Facilitation Technique Demonstration
Each group will need to familiarize themselves with their allocated task by reading through the
module notes and (if they feel it is necessary) doing their own research online (although this will
not be a requirement). The group exercise will involve the following:
• Deciding on what kind of business or stakeholder engagement problem they will use as an
example for the technique that has been allocated to them.
• Describe how the facilitation technique will be used to address the example that you have
chosen. This will be done in a brief presentation by the group to the class. In preparing your
presentation you need to include the following:
o Description of the business problem that you are using, your role(s) as facilitators/scribes
etc., and which stakeholder groups are represented. Don’t forget to identify
organizational support
o Present the agenda for the facilitation
o Explain how the process will work and how stakeholders will be expected to participate
o Identify the norms that might be appropriate for undertaking this facilitation
• Your presentation must not going into the execution of the process, but simply describe how it
will be applied.
• Each group member must have an opportunity to speak. After you have completed their
presentation, the class will be offered the opportunity of asking the group questions about the
process.
Managing Participant
Communications and
Behaviour in Facilitation
Module 4: Session 4
Activity 4.6: Problem Meetings
• What are the some of the problems

that you have experienced in
meetings?
• What are the characteristics of good
meeting?

Achieving Good Facilitation
Achieving good facilitation involves two key

elements:
• Following proper facilitation principles and
process every time
• As the session progresses, determining when
and how to apply various facilitation practices

Characteristics of Good Facilitation
• Generates Ideas • Directs group
• Listens • Challenges
• Draws quiet people out • Tests understanding
• Shuts noisy people up • Notes ideas
• Probes – keeps a focus • Tests solutions with group
• Draws a conclusion • Clarifies/builds
• Arbitrates conflict • Co-ordinates sub-groups
• Knows when to intervene • Supports ideas
• Shapes ideas
• Non-judgmental

Creating Norms
• Every group and team needs guidelines to ensure a

cooperative and supportive atmosphere.
• Norms are the most effective when established by the
group members.
• Can be general norms used for every meeting, or
customized norms to the situation.
• If time is restricted, create the norms ahead of time and
post them. Ask for approval from the group during the
session.

Typical Norms for Effective Meetings
• Be on time
• Be prepared
• Pay attention
• Actively participate
• No side conversations
• No coming and going
• Be brief and to the point
• Respect opinions of others
• Strive for consensus
• No cell phones, no e-mail
• Providing Feedback

Hidden Agendas
A hidden agenda occurs when a participant in the workshop has
a goal which is not aligned with the workshop goal. Worse yet,
this conflict is not openly stated, but is manifested in negative
behaviours. Discovering hidden agendas is an important goal
for the facilitator. Ask open questions regarding:
• General conflicts
• Organizational conflicts
• Cultural issues
• Policy or procedural issues
• Inaccuracies in project information
• Potential negative impacts from proposed solutions
• Unexplored alternatives
• Document any objections or the fact that none arose.
Questions to Discover Objections/Hidden Agendas
Specific Questions: “Does anyone…”:
• "know of anything going on that will conflict with these plans?"
• "represent a group that will find it difficult to support these
plans/objectives/changes?”
• "know of any cultural issues that will affect your participation?”
• "know of any policy or procedure that will interfere with our project?”
• "know of any inaccuracies in any reports or data?”
• "know of any negative impacts?”
• "know of any alternatives we have not considered?”

Disruptive Behaviours and Communication Styles
• Disbeliever (It’ll never work)
• Know-It-All (I’ve done this many, many times)
• Historian (We’ve tried this before and it won’t work)
• The Devil’s Advocate (Argues about everything)
• Spotlighter (I have an opinion on everything)
• My-way or highway (Someone who insists on their own ideas)
• Rambler (Doesn’t stop talking, takes over the meeting)
• Interrupter (What I think is…) / (What Karen really means is …)
• Gossiper (I thought I heard the VP say…)
• Whisperer (What are we doing for lunch?)
• Disinterested (Doesn’t appear to be engaged in the meeting)
• Silent distracter (Reads, does e-mail, rolls eyes)

Disruptive Behaviours and Communication Styles
• Silent shy type (Doesn’t say anything – doesn’t like being in the
spotlight)
• The inarticulate participant (Knows what’s in their head, but does not
know how to articulate it)
• Busy beaver (Keeps leaving; takes messages during meeting)
• Latecomer (Had another meeting run late)
• Deserter (Got another [more important] meeting)
• Whiner (I don’t understand why we have to do this) / (this is a waste
of time)
• Emergency (Leaves from time to time due to some emergencies;
make sure to tell it all when coming back)

Dealing with Disruptive Behaviours and
Communications Styles
• Confront it in a firm and friendly manner
• Use direct feedback on effect of behaviour
• Suggest alternative process
• Use nonverbal influencing techniques
• Take a break
• Take it up with the client/sponsor/manager

Manage the Participation of Leaders
• What it is: When the manager or other senior

person intimidates the more junior members.
• When to use it: Sometimes it is just the presence.
You can ask the leader to leave or suggest ways of
posing questions to look at the positive and
negative sides of the discussion.
• Pro: Helps to limit groupthink and ‘yes’ answers
• Con: The senior manager may be right, and the
audience could be out of scope and need to be
‘reeled in’.

Some Challenges Leaders Face
Challenge Action to Take
Trying to be neutral about something you have Pick the right topic, one that needs the staff to
significant expertise in buy in and share the accountability and be
encouraged to take the lead
People may not want to speak up with the Use a technique such as written brainstorming
leader in the room or multi- voting or another anonymous and
objective technique
When the leader asks a question, the staff Ask two at once (i.e. make it neutral): Tell me
assume there is a motive behind it why this would work, and also tell me why it
wouldn’t
Group members are leery to take part, Clarify your role, their role, and their
thinking “what is the use? no one listens” empowerment level

Activity 4.7: Dealing with Disruptive Behaviours
The class will be divided into groups. Each group

will be given three disruptive behaviours to deal
with. In your groups, develop strategies for
addressing them by answering the following
questions:
• How could you deal with the following disruptive
behaviours in a meeting that you were
facilitating?
Each group will present their answers to the large
group for discussion

Module Summary
Now that you have completed the module, you will have:
1. Explained how effective communications can lead to
successful facilitations
2. Identified the key activities of a facilitator in preparing
for a facilitation in different environments
3. Applied facilitation techniques to address different
stakeholder engagement situations
4. Developed different approaches and techniques to
manage participant communications and behaviours

See you
on
Wednesday!

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Business Communications for

Learning Outcomes: Topics to be Covered

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

• Conduct background research to understand the needs of

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

• Make accurate notes (usually through a scribe) to

• People are intelligent, capable and want to do the right thing

PROCESS = the HOW a meeting is

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

CONTENT = the WHAT is being

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Feedback and Refinement

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

In your groups, discuss the following and prepare

“What are some of the most important challenges

Each group will present their answers to the class

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Meetings can occur in a variety of

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

CONS & PROS

A team composed of people distributed across

In your groups, discuss these following and prepare

• What are the top five challenges for facilitators in

Each group will present their answers to the class

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Hopefully you read through the material on

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

• What are the some of the problems

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Achieving good facilitation involves two key

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

• Every group and team needs guidelines to ensure a

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

• What it is: When the manager or other senior

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

The class will be divided into groups. Each group

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

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